1. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical connectors having a connector housing and capable of establishing electrical connection with external circuits are known. In this regard, please see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-10306. The conventional connector structure described in Japanese Utility Model publication No. 58-10306 comprises a connector housing capable of accommodating a plurality of female terminals which may respectively be coupled to a plurality of parallel male terminals. The connector housing of the type described in Japanese Utility Model publication 58-10306 includes an insulating wall disposed perpendicular with respect to the housing's side walls that are formed in the longitudinal direction of a frame. The resulting terminal accommodating chambers that are formed thereby are open-ended.
Furthermore, slanted guide surfaces are formed at a lower end portion of the insulating wall at positions on the inside and outside thereof which do not coincide with the lower open end of the frame. The above-described conventional structure may be fastened to the circuit board using a separate cover plate by means of screws that extend through holes formed in flanges associated with the lower portion of the housing.
The cover plate must be prepared and mounted separately of the electrical connector. Thus, increased complexity of the work needed for fabricating the connector ensues. Therefore, one problem that arises with the prior art electrical connector described above is that the overall cost of the connector increases. In addition, since the housing is fixed to the circuit board separately via screws, tools (e.g., screwdrivers) are needed which may not always be accommodated easily (if at all) in the close confines of a particular circuit board layout. As a result, fabrication efficiencies and/or productivities decrease.
A further problem with the above-described conventional electrical connector is that the base section of the male terminals cannot be retained by the lower surface of the housing. Therefore, the upper surface of the circuit board positioned away from the base is pressed towards the circuit board by the lower portion of the inside surface of the housing flange. As a result, the base portions of the male terminals and/or the male terminals themselves can be easily deformed and/or positionally skewed.
2. Summary of the Invention
The present invention is directed towards solutions to the problems associated with the above-described electrical connector of the prior art. Broadly, the present invention provides an electrical connector which is comprised of a base which includes at least one male terminal, and a tubular housing for the male terminal which is adapted to receiving a female plug body. More specifically, the tubular housing is coupled to the base such that the electrically conductive base section of the male terminal (i.e., that section of the male terminal that joins the same to the conductive bus bar) is forcibly captured, and hence positionally restrained, between a rear wall of the housing, and an integral retaining wall extending upwardly from the base. The forwardly extending male terminal is therefore protectively housed within the interior of the tubular housing structure.
The tubular housing is maintained in its coupled position with respect to the base by means of resilient coupling structures. Thus, the tubular housing is prevented from being uncoupled from the base and, as a result, maintains its positional restraint upon the base section of the male terminals.
In this regard, several embodiments of the resilient coupling structures will be discussed in greater detail below. In general, however, each will be in the form of a resilient tongue element formed integrally with either the tubular housing or the base, with an engagement surface being provided on the other of the tubular housing or base. When in its "seated" position--i.e., when the tubular housing is coupled to the base--the resilient tongue will engage the engagement surface and hence prevent uncoupling thereof. Moreover, when the housing is coupled to the base, the capturing force exerted by the housing's rear wall against the base section of the male terminals will be maintained thereby providing rigidifying mechanical support for the male terminals. As a result, deformation and/or positional skewing of the male terminals is minimized (if not eliminated).
The coupling means of the present invention is also provided with guide and mounting structures that allow the housing member to be slidably moved onto the base during assembly thereof. Thus, the structures that allow sliding of the tubular housing onto the base, together with the resilient tongue element and its associated engagement surface, permit the electrical connectors to be fabricated without the use of tools. Moreover, the electrical connectors of this invention can be assembled in a so-called "one touch" manner. That is, by simply sliding the tubular housing into engagement with the base until its final, coupled position is achieved, the tubular housing will be securely mounted to the base so that it cannot readily be uncoupled. At the same time, the male terminals are protected due to the surrounding presence of the housing, and the increased mechanical support that the housing provides thereto.
These aspects and advantages of the present invention, as well as others, will become more clear after careful consideration is given to the detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof which follow.